Juan Castillo Turned Down Other Options To Join Ravens

Head Coach John Harbaugh also clarified what Castillo’s role will be on the staff.

As the Ravens go through their Super Bowl XLVII preparation, the coaching staff will have another voice in the room.

The team hired former Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator Juan Castillo to serve as a consultant for the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, and he will remain on staff as the run game coordinator next season.

Castillo took the job with the Ravens after turning down other options.

“He had lots of opportunities, I can tell you that, on both sides of the ball to be a lot of different things because that’s the kind of coach he is,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “It ranges from assistant head coach, an offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator and those things are all things that to a coach of his caliber, those were opportunities that he had, and he chose to come here.”

Castillo spent the last 17 years with the Eagles before getting fired by Andy Reid midway through the season. He was a longtime offensive line coach before flipping over to the defensive side of the ball as the coordinator last season.

Castillo’s focus with the Ravens will again be on the offensive side of the ball. He was already working with veteran guard Bobbie Williams on his blocking after Saturday’s practice.

“He’ll be kind of a lead coach in terms of the run game and organizing the run game for us,” Harbaugh said. “Of course, he’ll work closely with [Offensive Coordinator] Jim [Caldwell] and all the coaches.”

Harbaugh and Castillo have known each other for years, dating back to the time Harbaugh spent on Reid’s staff in Philadelphia.

“I had a chance to work with him for 10 years in Philadelphia, so I know this man very well, know his family. He is a very good person,” Harbaugh said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to improve our football team, the overall talent pool that we have here. Whether it’s player or coach, we try to get better. You either get better, or you get worse. So, we add him into our staff, which I think already is just a great staff, and it makes us better, and that’s the whole idea.”

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